
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
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25
church of Christ. When the apostolic church was pure and holy, having
just learned the gospel from the great Head of the church, and having been
baptized with the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost, the gifts of the Spirit
were given t,T them, for their edification and profit. And we have no Scrip-
ture evidence that they were designed for a limited portion of the gospel age,
to be taken away from the church in a few years; but the proof is abun-
dant that they were designed to- exist in the church as long as the saints
in their mortal state needed the teaching of the Bible and the Holy Spirit.
"It is universally admitted that a portion of the gifts exist in the church
at this day, such as 'the word of wisdom,' and 'the word of knowledge,' and
no one denies that 'pastors' and 'teachers' were to be in the church until its
Perfection. Then if a portion of the gifts were to remain in the church,
why not all of them remain? Why should the professed church of Christ
pick out from that catalogue of gifts, so freely bestowed by.the great Head
of the church, those that suit them best, and trample the others in the dust?
It is sometimes asserted, by those who oppose the operations of the Spirit
of God, that the gifts were designed for the apostles alone.: but if this is
true, then the church of Christ has been destitute of 'the word of wisdom,'
'the word of knowledge,' and the gift of 'faith,' for about 1,800 years, and
those who have professed to be 'teachers' and 'pastors' have assumed a
calling which ceased to exist at the death of the apostles. It is therefore
very evident that all the gifts run parallel with each other, none of them
ending before the rest, and that they were to extend quite through the
gospel age.
"The gifts were given for 'the perfecting of the saints,' and as the
church is in an imperfect state, they are all needed. They were to be em-
ployed for this purpose 'till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of
the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a .perfect man, unto the measure of
the stature of the fullness of Christ.' The church has never yet reached
this state of unity, knowledge, fullness and perfection: therefore the gifts
should not be dismissed, until' the object for which they were given is
gained."—
Ibid.
Lesson 10— The Church
SEPTEMBER 3, 19,21
Daily Study Outline
1.
Study synopsis, paragraphs 4. Questions 0-13, note 2.
1, 2, looking up texts.
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5. Questions 14-19, note 3.
2.
Study synopsis, paragraph 3, 0. Questions 20-24, note 4.
looking up texts.
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7. Review the synopsis; study
3.
Questions 1-8, note 1.
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the notes.
Synopsis
SEED
THOUGHT :
"The church, whiCh is His body." Eph.
1: 22, 23.
1. In the tabernacle in the wilderness, God manifested
His presence among His people. (Ex. 25: 8), and there His
glory was seen (Ex. 40: 34). When the permanent temple
took the place of the tabernacle, the same glory was then seen
in it. 1 Kings 8: 10, 11. In this way was foreshadowed the
manifestation of the glory of God in the person of His Son
(John 1: 14), who spoke of His body as a temple ('John 2: 21).